


Food Poisoning

by emetoandotherthings



Category: Original Work
Genre: Food Poisoning, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Illnesses, M/M, Sick Character, Sickfic, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-25 14:50:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18576706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emetoandotherthings/pseuds/emetoandotherthings
Summary: Prompt: BackpackingWarning: Includes vomiting





	Food Poisoning

            Eden yawned for the fifth time during this conversation and Jude scowled across at him.

            “It’s only quarter to seven!” He said as Eden rubbed his hand across his face.

            “Yeah, and that means it’s quarter to seven in the morning in the UK.” Eden protested, sitting back from the table. “ _And_ we have been travelling for over twenty-four hours – I think you can forgive me yawning.”

            “I know, it’s just we need to get into the time zone,” Jude replied. Backpacking had been Jude’s dream, and like a lot of things when it came to Jude Eden somehow managed to get tangled up in that dream. They’d been planning it for the past year of uni – sometimes Jude put more effort into planning this trip than he had done his coursework. And now here they were in the common area of a hostel in Auckland, New Zealand. They’d arrived in the early afternoon, checked in to their hostel, done a food shop to last a few days and were now sitting over a meal they’d cooked trying to stay awake for as long as they could.

            “Is that all you’re going to eat?” Jude pointed at Eden’s plate, which was still three quarters full.

            “I think so…” Eden moved some of the chicken around on his plate with his fork. “I don’t think my body can cope with more food when it feels like it should be asleep.”

            “You’ll be really hungry by morning.” Jude commented.

            “I can cope with that,” Eden said, trying to stifle a yawn at the back of his throat. “I’ve eaten some of it.” Jude raised his eyebrow at him as he picked up both of their plates and carried them over to wash; Eden had tried to eat, but his mouth tasted funny – probably because of the long flights and filtered air.

            “Come on,” Jude said, returning to the table while wiping the excess water on his hands onto his jeans. “Let’s go up to the room, we can sort out all the stuff we need.”

            Their dorm was empty when they returned to it; so far they’d only met one other person – the guy in the bunk above Eden who was from Chile. Eden pulled his backpack out of his locker, cursing as one of the straps got caught in the door hinge, then laid it in front of his bed where he could rummage through it easier. Jude mimicked this action, his bunk opposite Eden’s so they knelt back to back while sorting through their bags. Eden pulled out his toiletries bag and inspected it, just in case there had been a toothpaste explosion or shampoo leak on the plane that he hadn’t noticed before.

            “Maybe I’ll have a shower,” Eden suggested, unfurling his travel towel from its holder and hanging it on the rail at the end of his bed. “That might keep me awake for another couple of hours, what do you think?” Eden turned his head and noticed that Jude was sitting on his bed, leaning back against the wall and his eyes were shut. “Hey! All this time you’ve been telling me off for yawning and you’re half asleep!”

            “Sorry.” Jude mumbled, pushing himself up from the wall. “I wasn’t asleep…” He opened his eyes but didn’t get off the bed. “Yeah, a shower might be a good idea.”

            Jude couldn’t quite tell why but he’d been hit with an unexpected wave of tiredness; his stomach suddenly feeling like it was bloated and painful. He rested his hand on his belly and shifted on the bed.

            “Are you alright?” Eden asked, sitting up onto his own bed with his head ducked so he wouldn’t smack his head.

            “Does your stomach feel weird?” Jude said, rubbing his hand across his abdomen.

            “Not really – why?” He replied, “Does yours?” Jude winced a little as he lowered himself onto the floor to sort through his bag.

            “Yeah,” Jude nodded. Eden looked across at his friend, who was using only one hand to unpack his stuff, then tried to gauge exactly how he was feeling. He’d been too preoccupied with tiredness to think about any other sensations in his body.

            “Do you want an antacid?” Eden offered, “I’ve got some somewhere.” Eden raked through the top layer of his bed.

            “You really did pack for everything, didn’t you?” Jude gave a weak chuckle but a look of pain crossed his face again. “I don’t know if that’d help.” He perched back on the edge of his bed.

            “You really did pack for everything, didn’t you?” Jude gave a weak chuckle, but a look of pain crossed his face again. “I don’t know if that’d help.” He perched back on the edge of his bed.

            “What does it feel like?” Eden questioned, noticing that Jude’s face was a little paler and wandering if that was just the tiredness from their journey. Jude felt hot all over, and in the last few minutes his stomach had started churning.

            “I just feel a bit dodgy.” Jude sighed, just as his stomach decided to give off a loud and obnoxious gurgle.

            “Oh god Jude,” Eden’s eyes widened as he heard the sound from across the room, “that really doesn’t sound good.”

            “Oh – okay, I feel really dodgy.” He admitted suddenly, the hand on his stomach moving so he gave himself a belly rub. Almost as though in sympathy Eden’s stomach did a flip inside him, and he wondered had they actually cooked that chicken properly, and he swallowed.

            “D’you feel sick?” Eden asked, feeling the dryness of his mouth.

            “Little bit,” Jude nodded again.

            “Do you mean a little bit or quite a lot?”

            “Quite a lot,” Jude covered his mouth as he simultaneously hiccupped and burped at the same time, looking immensely queasy.

            “I think we should go to the bathroom,” Eden decided, trying to make it sound like he wasn’t needing it himself; perhaps the bubbly nausea he was feeling was just sympathetic.

            “No I don’t-” Jude began to protest, but Eden cut across him.

            “You have a history of being “fine” until you puke everywhere,” Eden pointed out, “and we’re in a hostel, and I don’t really want to have to clean it up.” Eden stood up from the bed, and as he did he felt his stomach slosh inside him. “So come on.” Jude pushed himself up off the bed, a belch escaping him as he got vertical.

            “This is not how I envisaged beginning our holiday.” Jude mumbled following Eden along the corridor. The boys’ bathroom contained two rows of cubicles – one set showers, and the others toilets.

            “I know,” Eden surreptitiously put his hand to his own stomach as he pushed one of the cubicle doors open. “In.” Jude did as he was told and Eden followed him inside and locked it; the stall was cramped and Jude looked over at Eden.

            “What now?” He asked, then muffled a breathy burp behind his hand. Simply being in the vicinity of the toilet had set his body into an involuntary response; his mouth overfilling with saliva and his stomach muscles beginning to tense like the beginning of a heave.

            “Kneel down,” Eden ordered, seeing the draining colour from Jude’s face, along with the twitch in his jaw that meant he was holding back. Jude sank to his knees and Eden stood behind him as he hung his head over the toilet bowl. “You still feeling sick?”

            Jude responded with a belch, then said: “Very.”

            “Let it out then, you’ll feel better>” Eden told him, stopping a hiccup from being audible, and stooping slightly so he could rub Jude’s back. He saw Jude nod his head, then felt the muscles in Jude’s back jerk as he burped into the bowl. “You’re okay.”

            The response was Jude’s hands tightening on the edge of the toilet seat, and Eden cringed as he heard the sound of liquid splashing into the bowl. He rubbed Jude’s back encouragingly, hearing the huffing and pained breath sounds as he began to retch again.

            Wave after wave of puke came flowing out of Jude’s mouth, like his body was determined to get rid of everything inside him. Eden found himself swallowing rapidly, as his own stomach decided to rebel within him, he had to make sure that Jude was okay.

            Very slowly Jude’s burping and heaving began to slow down, but twice Eden had to abort a retch of his own that was trying to force its way up his chest. Jude reached a trembling hand up to flush the toilet, then leant back on his heels breathing heavily.

            “I’m done for now,” Jude’s voice wavered. “Still feel horrendous though.” Eden had straightened up, then felt a splash of acid at the back of his throat. “Oh god…”

            “Jude?” Eden began softly, feeling the urge to gag right at the back of his throat. “Jude – can you move your head?” Eden’s request came out suddenly, and he almost shoved Jude out of the way as the retch doubled him over. Jude’d barely moved an inch to the right before Eden opened his mouth, a flood of vomit pouring from his mouth in one single powerful wave. “ _Uurgh…_ ”

            “My god Eden!” Jude exclaimed from his place on the floor.

            “Sorry…” Eden panted, his hand pressing firmly into his stomach. “Couldn’t hold it in anymore.”

            “You didn’t say-” Jude covered his mouth as an empty belch sprang out of him.

            “I think we might not have cooked that chicken enough.” Eden said, wiping his mouth – his stomach feeling oddly empty.

            “That would explain it,” Jude nodded. “Think I’m gonna puke again.” Jude leant up on his knees again, head over the bowl.

            “You’ll feel better when you’re done.” Eden reassured, his hand on Jude’s shoulder as he coughed raggedly, before it turned into a violent heave, and there were renewed sounds of vomit hitting water.


End file.
